Ocean Community Challenge

OCEAN COMMUNITY CHALLENGE OCC2024

Activate your Ocean passion and become part of the solution!

Are you an ocean blue-tech lover and innovator with great ideas? Join Ocean Community Challenge OCC2024, our global and open innovation initiative.

The ocean is crying out for new ideas to survive and thrive! Submit ideas that help solve ocean challenges, or leverage ocean resources sustainably and contribute to a healthy and sustainable ocean economy and society.

Experiment by building prototypes based on technology, ocean resources, and circular economy principles.

We will support your journey to further develop and commercialise your solution. We are working with some of the best and most experienced experts in the global Blue Economy and blue entrepreneur supporting ecosystem to enable high-impact ocean solutions.

Read more below - and JOIN THE FUN!

Timeline OCC 2024

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

SUBMISSION WINDOW
CLOSES

FINALISTS UNDER REVIEW

DEVELOMENT
AND COACHING

AWARD
PROGRAM
KICK OFF

WINNERS
ANNOUNCED

FINAL PANEL WITH ESOs & INVESTORS

May

June 20

TBA

(OCEANOVATION Festival)

4 weeks pre-acceleration
4 months mentorship (Hybrid Lisbon and on-line)

Why participate

The experience

Enrolling in Ocean Community Challenge means joining a community of ocean entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts. This offers an invaluable opportunity to connect, learn and innovate with like-minded sharing the common goal to address ocean challenges and opportunities. All submissions in scope will receive professional feedback based on an assessment of the idea and solution.

The opportunity

The best ideas and solutions will participate in the final pitch event. As a finalist, you will be assigned a dedicated SPOC from Ocean Community as well as an expert coach to help you develop your solution and prepare for the pitch event. During the pitch event, you will get the opportunity to present your solution and pitch in front of an expert jury panel providing you real-time feedback.

The award

Awarded teams are invited to join our 4 week Pre-Accelerator Program including tailored activities and support to further develop solutions and value propositions. Our program is designed to guide through complex entrepreneurial stages, add structure, and help teams take important steps on their venture journey. Teams are assigned a SPOC from the OCC Team and a mentor from one of our expert partners who will support throughout the journey and beyond; Mentorship is provided during 4 months.

Together with our partner network, we provide

Mentoring for 4 months
Advisory
Networking
Resourcing
Funding opportunities
Innovation- and Entrepreneurial training
Pitch-training and practice

Meet Teams from past Challenges

"OCC provided a platform for us to grow as entrepreneurs; By providing an excellent business coach as well as a panel of angel investors, to which we had never pitched to before, we were able to refine our business model and pitch tailored towards investment.”

ReShore, 1st prize winners OCC 2020

ChiNet, finalists OCC 2021

"Thank you for making these meetings happen. They were very valuable and I am sure we will be able to leverage those connections in the future. Thank you for guiding the discussions, it was very thoughtful of you"

AlgoBio, 1st prize winners OCC 2021

"One of the things I love about OCC is their dedication and that they are committed to support their participants."

SOSO Care, 2nd prize winners, OCC 2020

Explore more OCC team finalists

How to participate

Submission Process

Prepare your submission according to the instructions below.
Submit through the F6S platform during the submission window.
Meeting with the OCC Team to clarify and discuss your idea and solution and receive professional feedback.
Training and coaching session to enable completion of your submission.
Improve and finalise your submission before final closing date.

What and how to submit

Your solution must, at some scale, generate synergies among ocean resources, technology and circular economy principles.

When submitting your application on the F6S webpage for OCC24, you will be asked to fill out an application form. In this, you must clearly describe your idea and solution; Who will benefit; How you will deliver this value and the ocean impact. In addition, you will need add (or describe) a prototype of your solution.

All submissions in scope will go through a structured evaluation based on critical assessment criteria. The submission form includes questions that are relevant for this assessment.

In addition to the questions, teams are asked to submit a pitch deck covering the above mentioned assessment criteria (max 10 slides) and additional support documentation presenting the solution.

Submission Categories (2024)

We have aligned the OCC2024 submission with the most common industry standard for the Blue Economy. We work together with unique experts and organisations within each category.

You can submit your solution under the following categories. If your solution spans across several categories or there is no category related to your idea, choose the category most applicable.

Aquaculture
Fisheries
Blue Biotechnology
Blue Renewable Energy
Blue Tech & Ocean Observation
Coastal & Maritime Tourism
Environmental Protection & Regeneration
Shipbuilding & Refit
Shipping & Ports
Water Management

Dive into CATEGORIES

Dive into ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Getting to the Final

The most promising solutions will be selected to participate in the finalist coaching period and the final pitch-event to compete for the awards provided.

The finalists selection will be based on a qualitative assessment supported by our expert coaches and advisors.

Finalist are matched with an experienced coach to further improve solutions and prepare the pitch-presentation.

Final pitches are to an investor and expert jury panel. Awarded teams are invited to the OCC Award Program including a 4 week Pre-Acceleration Program and in parallel 4 months of mentoring and tailored activities to further enhance solutions.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION - JOIN THE FUN!

SUBMIT HERE!

As Lead of this year´s OC Challenge, I am beyond excited to follow and support teams with innovative solutions that not yet have caught investors´ attention. This is where our community makes a difference, providing the opportunity for promising solutions to thrive!

I encourage early-stage entrepreneurs from diverse ocean sectors to join and be a part of our community."

Karen R. Østgaard,
BSc International Economics, University of Oslo, Norway and Nova SBE, Portugal